Working 'Highness'

Nine

I walked into my office with my head held high to be honest, I've been a full time journalist for Essence for almost two whole weeks now and I was loving it.

I was actually earning enough money to be able to afford that apartment in the valley and more. It was crazy, it was like once the stress was lifted off of my back it was replaced with happiness, I hated to say it, with what happened in the past, but it was too late now.

I may not have a boyfriend at the moment but I wasn't the type to complain. What Chres and I went through was something rare, and I was hoping that he would just get his shit together finally and come back.

But it just hasn't happened yet.

"Nala? Can you come with me please?"

I lifted my head up from my desk to make eye contact with my new boss, Mrs. Newman. I couldn't tell whether she was mad or not, but sitting at my cubical editing stories wasn't the move for the moment anyway. I got up from my desk and smoothed out my pencil skirt, before following her to her office.

"Please take a seat." She spoke as she closed the door behind us, I sat down in front of her desk. It was kind of awkward though, I've only been in her office two other times; to get hired, and to get my check signed off. "Ms. Marshall, you've been working with us since you were barely a freshman in college, and you never had complained about not interviewing a 'celebrity'. You've been taking the bare minimum jobs and..."

"Um, well I just didn't question my work, as long as I was getting paid. Interviewing a 'celebrity' wasn't exactly the motive." I answered not trying to make contact with her dark eyes, they were so forward and judging.

"Mm, okay well I have a new assignment for you. This is something big, I want you to do a cover story on a very special reader of our magazine. This will be your break out story, something to get your name in the media. "

"Okay," I excitedly spoke, my attention was getting caught and I was starting to like what I was hearing. "I can do that. Who would you like me to write about?"

"Casey Veggies. He's an upcoming LA rapper, who's been supporting our magazine since he started."

My stomach dropped hearing his name come out of her mouth, it was like acid streaming to my ears. I didn't want to have to even meet Casey again, last I heard he was still very much friends with Chres and still had booth sections with him.

And besides that, he didn't like to keep his eyes nor his hands to himself, working with him, was out of the question to be honest. Bottom line, working with him was going to be one Hell of a task.

"Nala? Are you okay? Do you have a problem with Casey, I know he just recently dropped a song with one of your friends, in fact it's been on the billboards top ten twice."

I fake smiled, of course she would call Chres a friend, like our relationship was ever just "friendly". I started to hate the fact that I ever exposed my personal life with my job to begin with.

"Mrs. Newman I don't think that I would be able to interview him." I responded honestly, I just couldn't do that, it was too risky.

"So you don't want to write the top story of the month? Do you know how much exposure that you're passing up? How much money that could be in your hands? Please Nala, I picked you because I know that you would be appreciative and want to write." She paused, and looked at me dead in the eye. "I guess not."

"Fine. Fine I'll do it. But Mrs. Newman just don't say that I didn't warn you about my personal issues."

"Oh no ma'am, there will not be any personal issues, or you won't be getting a story like this any more."